Shard
by Scarlet Moose
Summary: After Twilight Princess. It's been a year since Midna left the light realm and broke the Twilight Mirror. And she's been bored stiff. One day, while walking, she finds a piece of the mirror, and a portal to the realm of light. Who could have done this?
1. Chapter 1

The darkness of the sky loomed down on the palace of the Twili realm. A young princess sat at the window, gazing out dully. Her life had significantly changed from what she had been doing a year ago. She had been helping the hero save both the Twili realm, and the realm of light, and defeat the evil Ganon and Zant. While on their adventure, they had made sure to collect the shards of the mirror that connected the Twili realm the realm of light, so that they were no longer connected. Since that day a year ago, Midna had been bored stiff. Yes, the castle was hers again and yes, the chances of Ganon or Zant returning were slim. She would just live like this, bored, the rest of her life.

She batted her red eyes and let out a moan. "Well, life without peril sure is boring," she murmured, opening the window of her bedroom. "But my people need me…" Truth be told, if it wasn't for them, Midna probably wouldn't have come back. But she wasn't meant to live in the world of light. The Twili had been banished to this realm, and that is where they were going to stay. The princess stood, throwing a cloak over herself. "I'll go make my own fun," she murmured to herself. She stepped across the room, and out the door. Some of the guards bowed.

"You've finally left your room Princess!" said one. Midna gave him a graceful smile, before heading down the spiral staircase. She never noticed how dizzying the staircase would be. But it kept going and going and going… "Whoa," she said, stopping. "Who built this castle?" She sighed, and began to walk again, but more slowly. She broke off at a door, not going down any further, for that would take her to the basement. She was in the grand hall. The red carpet lead from the main entrance of the castle, down the long walk way, up the four or five stairs, and to the two thrones. She walked down the red carpet, toward the outside.

Midna emerged to the dark world. She smiled. "The Twilight is truly beautiful," she said, gawking. She hadn't been outside for some time. She had been so depressed lately, but going outside of her room had been a terrific idea. The girl began walking the perimeter of her castle. It really wasn't healthy for her to lock herself in her room like that.

She stopped at the side of the mountain, and sat. Midna hadn't been out and about in sometime, and she was already pretty tired. "How sad," she murmured. "Already worn, from just a short bit of walking." She sighed heavily, and rested her arms on her knees.

"Princess," said one of the patrolling guards, as he stopped to check on her. Midna blinked up at him, and gave a dazzling grin. He frowned lightly.

"I'm alright," Midna told him in a soothing tone. "Just taking a bit of a rest." The guard nodded, and murmured something about being glad she was finally out of her bedroom. Apparently, everyone had been worried sick about her. She had stayed locked in her room for two weeks straight, never leaving. She had been thinking about her adventures with Link lately, and she was missing it. The whole adventure with him. She had really enjoyed helping the hero out, and felt accomplished when they had finally beaten Ganon. She was thrilled she was able to help in some way. But then, she fled so soon after. It was what she had to do. At first, she had hid her sadness from being away, but just recently, she couldn't help it anymore. Midna could no longer suppress her thoughts of Hyrule.

Oh, Hyrule. How Midna had loved the world of light. Though, it could never compare to how lovely the Twilight was, it had been just so beautiful. It was so full of life. It was so sad… Those people had no idea of what kind of danger they were in. Those poor children from Ordon who had been taken. They were all fine now, out of danger, living normal lives. But Midna felt her life would never be normal at all. The world of the light had changed her. She saw everything just a bit differently. She couldn't explain it. It was eerie, but good.

The young woman stood, brushing herself off. "I should continue my walk," she told herself, and began to walk the outside of her castle once more. She took a deep breath in. She felt a sort of emptiness as she recalled her journey. It was bothering her, picking at her annoyingly. She tried to forget about it for now.

Midna just continued to stroll, until she heard a hissing, swirling noise. She squinted her eyes, toward the sound. What could be causing it? Taking a few cautious steps forward, she listened for the sound to grow louder. It did. She began to walk toward the noise some more, trying to determine where it was coming from. As she looked ahead of herself, she felt something under her feet.

The princess looked down, and moved her foot out of the way. A small piece of beige glass lay on the ground. "No…" she whispered. She bent down, and picked it up, examining it closer. "A piece of the mirror?" It was! A piece from the Mirror of Twilight was in her hands. How? Her heart thumped in her chest. She stood, and hid the shard in her dress. She was confused. How did a shard from the Mirror of Twilight appear in the Twilight realm? "I broke this mirror… A shard couldn't possibly come through!" She bit her lip.

_Should I go back to my room? _Midna thought to herself. She frowned lightly. She turned away from the noise, and rushed back to the castle. She went though the front doors, and went to the left tower. "Hello princess!" said the guards as she passed. She gave a curt nod, but was in a rush to head back to her room.

Midna gripped the handle tightly, and twisted, throwing the door open. She rushed into her room, and let the door slam shut. She took the shard from her dress, and lay it on her desk. She pulled the seat out, and sat. She stared at the beige piece of glass, puzzled. What could it be doing there, in the Realm of Twilight? It was impossible… How could it have escaped?

What about that swirling portal? Could that possibly be… To the realm of light!? To Hyrule, where her friend Link was sure to be waiting? She balled her blue hand into a fist, and slammed it against the table. Link… A person she had not thought about for a long while. Her eyes welled with tears. Link… She let out a single sob, and held her fist tighter and tighter. "Stupid stupid Midna," she hissed to herself. "Growing attached to a person from the light… What a stupid thing to do!" She slammed her fist against the table repeatedly.

Midna sank, and rested her cheek on the table. "Stupid," she whispered. "What am I supposed to do? Should I go to the realm of the light?" She pondered this. If there was a portal of this side, then there had to be a portal in the other realm… What if somebody came across that portal? What if somebody… Dangerous found their way in? She shuddered. "I can't let that happen." It was settled, she would go to the realm of light.

She wasn't sure whether her decision has really been to save her people. Maybe she wanted to see Link and Zelda… "Well, whatever the reason," she began, "I must go through the portal. It has to end up somewhere." Midna stood, and tucked the shard away in her dress. She would have to talk to one of her people… Somebody could take over from her for a short time. She wasn't planning to stay long. She wouldn't even have to see Link, she would just close the portal.

The princess gave a nod. Avoiding Link would be best. She wouldn't feel the certain attachment to stay. It was decided. She'd leave, and come back. That was that. Midna fled her room, and began to look for her right-hand-lady. She usually took over when Midna was away, which was hardly ever.

Midna found the Twili woman. She was only a little shorter than Midna herself, but Midna still have to look down. "Prin," the princess said quietly, "I'm going to make a trip. Just a short one. I should be back within a few weeks. If I don't return when planned, do not worry." She began to walk away, but stopped, and grinned back Prin. "Starting now." Prin looked shocked as Midna left the castle.

Toward the back of the castle was where Midna was headed. To the portal to be precise. She was scared… But she knew it was something that had to be done. Would she be able to handle it? "Hopefully," she whispered, as she reached the portal. It swirled and hissed at her almost in an angry manner. She held her breath, and stepped into it.

* * *

**There you have it, Chapter one of 'Shard'. Forgive me for the uninteresting title! I hope you guys all liked it! It was a tad short... But a lot of my chapters in fanfiction are short XD. If you liked this one, I suggest you read my other Zelda fanfiction! I'm pretty sure I have completed chapter two of this one, but, it might not be up for a bit. Anyways, disclaimer time!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Zelda, nor do I own the characters involved in the Zelda series. 


	2. Chapter 2

Midna emerged from the portal, welcomed by warm, sandy winds. She was in the Mirror Chamber. She had forgotten how beautiful it was. She gave a small smile.

"Whoa!" Midna heard somebody shout. Then, she heard scrambling. She looked around, confused. Then, seeing who this voice belonged to, she felt a lump in her throat. Oh no. _Oh no, please no!_

The owner of the voice was tall, a bit taller than herself. He had messy brown hair, and was wearing a green tunic with white tights and a long hat. He had pale skin and pointed ears. His face was shocked, and his blue eyes were filling with tears. "Link!" Midna couldn't help saying. He wasn't supposed to be here! Why in the heavens would he be here!? This wasn't part of her plan...

"Midna!" Link shouted. Midna backed away.

"No no no no," Midna repeated over and over. She held her blue hands to her mouth. "What are you _doing_ here!" Link kicked at the ground sheepishly.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Link countered. "That portal wasn't here before!" Midna was puzzled. Why wouldn't it have been on this side? It had been on her own side... She stood there, in thought. Link just stared at her.

"I found this portal at the back of my castle," Midna whispered. "I expected it would be on this side as well... I didn't want something evil to escape into my realm. I came to investigate." Link nodded. "How've things been... Over here."

Link paused. "Well..." he said slowly. "We've really missed you over here Midna... Zelda and I, I mean." He looked at Midna, but when she said nothing, he continued. "It's been pretty quiet. I moved back to Ordon, I visit Zelda a lot, I'm sent to Castle Town to deliver things from Ordon, and to buy supplies for our town. Epona gets pretty tired pulling a huge cart. Ilia told me not to over work her..." He laughed weakly, and scratched the back o his head. "She gets so mad when I go on those trips. She says, "Epona will get tired! Let her stop lots!" and she'll give me a whole lecture every time." Midna gave a weak smile.

"But, I always come here after my long trips... I make a quick detour, and sit here for about a day. I was just getting ready to leave actually," Link murmured. "We've missed you lots. _I've_ missed you lots." Midna looked at her feet. One a pale blue, one black.

She was too guilty to say anything. "You weren't supposed to know I was here," she whispered. She heard soft footsteps, and felt a hand on her bare shoulder. She looked up to see Link, and gave a startling grin. "You will help me close the portal, won't you?" she asked.

Link smiled, and threw his arms around her. This caught Midna a bit off guard, but she hugged him back. "I missed you too Link," she said quietly, as they let go. "But, you know this won't last. A couple of weeks at most, and I have to leave." He frowned, and looked down. A faint, "I know" could be heard, but Midna wasn't sure. She placed her hand on his cheek, and he lifted his head.

"Don't worry," she said. "Oh... My Link, you've grown so tall... I was taller than you... A year ago." She took her hand from his face, and placed it at her side. "Where is Epona anyways?"

"Waiting at the other side of the desert," Link admitted. "I don't let her come through the desert... I walk." Midna smirked.

"You haven't seen my powers since I became my true form, have you?" Midna asked, twirling a lock of her red hair between her slender fingers. Link shook his head. Midna grinned again. She took her two hands, and held them out, motioning Link to take them. "Hold on," she warned. He squeezed her hands hard.

Midna closed her eyes, and focused. The wind in the desert began to blow harder, sending sand in all directions. Her cape flew back behind her, and fluttered in a fast movement. She could feel Link's hands tighten. She could feel energy flow through her whole body. She loved it. She so scarcely ever used her powers. Her eyes suddenly shot open, and she let out a screech.

A dark circle surrounded her and Link. Midna smirked at Link. "Here we go!" she said, giving a high pitched giggle. The circle grew above their heads, and soon, all Midna could see was blackness.

The next thing she could see was the outside of the desert, and a startled looking Link. "Wow," he said, out of breath. Midna laughed, and let go of his hands. They both dropped them to their sides.

"I over did it," Midna said. "But, I wanted to show you what I could do... I could have just as easily teleported us as I did... Before." Link smiled.

"Epona is just back this way. She'll be getting restless..." Link said, leading Midna toward a large cart. Midna followed, and soon began to walk in-step with Link. They came to the cart. It had a white top over it, and it was wooden. It was strapped to a gorgeous horse, with a red coat, and white mane. Midna hopped onto the cart, and looked inside. There was so much in there.

"Link!" Midna scolded. "You could at least give her some help!" She hopped off. "The poor girl. Don't you know, the courteous thing for a man to do, is help a woman, instead of letting her carry the load." She grinned, and rolled her eyes. "Let's go."

The cart and Epona quickly turned into little black particles, along with a sheepish looking Link. They disappeared into what would have looked like nothing.

They reappeared by Link's house in Ordon. "I'm sorry Midna," Link laughed. "You shouldn't have to waste your energy like that!" Midna scoffed.

"Waste my energy," she repeated. "I needed to use some of my energy! I've barely used any magic since... Since I.. Broke the..." then, something clicked.

"Link!" Midna shrieked. Link jumped a little, surprised by her sudden outburst. She began to fumble in her gown. "I found a piece!" she went on, pulling out the shard of the mirror. She held it out in her open palm. "I found a piece of the mirror! In the Twilight Realm!" Link's blue eyes opened wide.

"How did it get there? You broke the mirror after you..." he said quietly. Midna knew he couldn't bring himself to say the word 'Left'. She also knew how hard it was for her to say.

"I don't know," Midna said, in a near whisper. "I was taking a walk earlier today, and, I stepped on it. That's where I found the portal."

"How could one shard make the portal?" Link asked. Midna shook her head, and gave a light shrug.

"I don't know." Midna looked to her feet again. "I don't know Link..." Her eyes welled with tears. "It could just be an accident... But..." She shook her head, and looked up.

"It wasn't an accident. It was placed there... Somebody made that portal, somebody placed that shard there. It couldn't possibly have been an accident. It was set up too perfectly," she said in a definite voice. "Who though?" They stood there in thought for a couple of minutes. "No... We should go unload the food, if we wait too long, it might spoil." Link nodded slowly.

"I'll wait out here," Midna said. "I don't want to disturb the village." Link raised an eyebrow. "What?" Midna asked.

"You aren't going to disturb the village!" Link scoffed. "Everyone is really nice. And Ilia will be happy to see you, she never did thank you for helping me get her memory back." Midna nodded lightly, and they guided Epona into the village.

They were swarmed by the children of the village. Minda remembered all of their names: Talo, Beth, and Colin. It didn't look like Malo was there... Maybe he was still running the shop in Kakariko? They all looked happy, until they saw Midna at his side.

The girl, Beth, stopped. "Link..." she said slowly. "Who is this?" Midna frowned, but Link gave a soft smile.

"My friend Midna... I told you about her," Link told them. Colin nodded, excited.

"This is her?" the blonde boy asked. "She lived in your shadow! Wow!" All of the kids stared at her in awe. "And she helped you save the princess, and Ilia!" Link laughed.

"I told them stories," Link told Midna. The Twilight Princess smiled. "Let's unload everything," Link said. "You wanna help?" He looked to the kids, and smiled. They nodded, and began to run to the cart.

"Where does everything need to go?" Midna asked, using her magic to lift items from the cart. "It'll be quicker this way... And then, I can deal with the portal." Link scowled, but directed her to the different places.

The unloading didn't take long with Midna helping, and she could tell that Link didn't like that. He wanted her to be there... Midna sighed. She really wished he hadn't been there when she had arrived. That way, it wouldn't have hurt anybody. Poor Link. It was probably going to be worse for him the second time around. There was nothing she could do now.

"We should talk about this... With Zelda," Link said. Midna looked at him, shocked. But, he was right, it was so obvious, Zelda would need to be there when they talked. She did, after all, hold a piece of the Triforce.

"Let's go," Minda whispered, beginning to focus. They were soon teleported to the Castle of Hyrule. Link looked unfazed. He had grown used of teleporting, they used to do it all the time.

Zelda's room was pure silence as they teleported in. Midna was so used to the quiet, this didn't surprise her. Zelda was always... A quiet woman. Midna's red eyes darted around, in search for the princess. A woman sat at her desk, gazing out of her window. She had long brunette hair, and she was at least a head shorter than Midna. The woman was wearing a beautiful white and purple gown.

"Link... Midna," Zelda breathed. She turned around. Her face was soft and slightly pale. Her sea coloured eyes danced with a nearly hidden joy, but her expression was stone cold. "Minda," she repeated. "What are you doing in the Realm of Light?" Midna stood tall as the other princess stood. She looked down at her fellow princess. "You aren't supposed to be here..." Zelda whispered.

Midna understood why Zelda was being so harsh. It was to protect her land. A being from the Twilight was not supposed to be in the world of light. If Zelda had come to the Twilight, Midna would have acted in the same manner. "Princess," Midna greeted, bowing her head lightly in respect. "It's been a long time. I've come because of a disturbance in the Twilight." Zelda stared up at her.

"A portal?" asked the other Princess. Midna nodded. Zelda seemed to understand. "I've felt... A disturbance; a dark power billowing in this Realm. It has made me uneasy. As I was traveling, I came across a dark portal. I knew where it lead-" Link gasped, as if to say 'Why didn't you tell me? "-So I closed it. It was in the throne room at Zora's Domain. I was paying a visit to young King Ralis. That poor boy...-" she began to walk slowly, as if pacing, -"Anyways, I closed it. I figured there may be more... So, I went to look at the Mirror Chamber. I found, that a group of the mirror is missing. About ten small pieces. I also found another portal. So I closed that one."

"I don't get it," Link said slowly, "that's the one Midna came through!"

"But, you said it wasn't there when you sat there," Midna reminded him. "Maybe, it didn't close on my side, and when I came through, it opened again?"

"Unlikely," Zelda said quietly. "Somebody must've... Reopened it for you. Somebody has been following you Midna. Watching to make sure you came through that portal."

"But who?" Link asked. There was a long silence. Midna was sure everyone was thinking. Possibly the same thing she was thinking.

"Ganondorf," Zelda whispered. Link seemed to be the only one who was shocked.

"But... I... I killed him! Both of you saw that! I killed Ganon! He... He can't be back!" Link urged. "He fell to the ground! We all saw him die!" Zelda thought , along with Midna, while Link stood there, confused by it all.

"His body died," Midna realized, "but not his soul... I remember noting the loss of character in his eyes... He left his body."

"Like a useless shell," Zelda whispered. Zelda shook her head. "We cannot be sure of anything right now. But, I know what I feel. It is likely that we have something dangerous at hand."

Midna's head was swimming with thoughts. Ganon, back? How? Why? All of this land, and her land was in danger again... "All of these people.. Are in danger again?" she whispered, holding back sobs. "I won't let him do this!" Her voice was loud and fierce now. "He will never hurt these people again!" Link nodded.

"We can't let him do this to the people of the light, or the people of the Twilight!" he agreed. "We'll stop him!"

"He hasn't seen my full powers!" Midna hissed darkly. Then, something struck her. "He won't... Try and turn me into an imp, will he?"

Zelda thought, and held out her hands, palms toward Midna. A shining light came from her hands and made Midna glow for a second. "There," she said softly. "That is a protective shield. He won't be able to turn you into a imp again." Midna grinned.

"He doesn't know what he's up against," she said, cackling. But, her face became more serious. "Zelda... Be careful." Zelda nodded, before Midna teleported herself and Link away.

They arrived back in Ordon, inside of Link's house. "Midna... Why can you stay in the Light Realm still? When Zant came that time after the Water Temple... He sent us into the Light Realm... And you got sick. Didn't the powers Zelda gave you wear off?" he asked suddenly.

"Link..." Midna said, nearly scoffing. "Zelda gave me her Life Force. Are you trying to be ridiculous? She gave me her powers. That's why I can be here."

"But... When Ganondorf made Zelda into his puppet... And then she came back? Where did she get the Life Force from?" Link asked, confused. He sat on the coffee table, and kicked his dirt covered feet at the ground.

"Link, do you not remember anything?" Midna asked, sighing. "The Sages! They gave her the bow and light arrows for your fight on Horseback with Ganon! Of course, they gave her Life Force to survive!" She rolled her red eyes.

Link nodded, getting off the table to face Midna. "Oh... I never bothered asking, I was just happy everything was okay," he said. "And I was afraid to ask Zelda." Midna raised an eyebrow at him. Link turned red in the face and shook his head. "Never mind." Midna shrugged.

"You don't have to tell me," Midna murmured. "But remember, I'll be gone forever eventually..." Her voice slowly faded away as she spoke. When Link made a sad grunting noise, and looked at the ground, she realized what she had said. "Link... I'm sorry," whispered the princess, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Link looked at her, then awkwardly away. "Link, you know I can't stay," Midna said, gracefully letting her hand fall from his shoulder, to hang at her side. "I know, you knew, as soon as you saw me step through that portal, that this couldn't last." Link shuffled his feet as Midna spoke. The princess looked down at the ground, and swiftly turned around.

"I think it would be best if we parted ways now," she said quietly, studying the wooden paneling of his house floor. "It would just be more painful for the two of us when I have to leave later on." She heard an odd sounding gasp from behind her. She knew it as Link's way of protesting against something, when he had nothing to say. "I can do this by myself. You should go live your life in Ordon, with Ilia, and the children. Go back to working at the farm, and fishing," she murmured, her voice with a tint of hidden sadness. "You don't have to play the hero anymore. You've done enough for Hyrule."

There was a silence, until Link broke it. "Look who's being ridiculous now. You'd have to be mental to think that I'd let you face this alone," he murmured. "There is no way that I'd let you just leave on me like this." Midna let a small smile creep to her face as she turned around.

"Are you sure? I'll still have to leave," Midna asked, tilting her head slightly. Link nodded; he seemed sure. "Alright," she said. "Let's go see Telma... She might be able to help us with finding the other shards." Link nodded subtlety.

"Let's go," he said.

* * *

**Muwahaha! Chapter two!!! It was much quicker to come out than I thought it would be! I was able to finish it today because I am home sick from school... But, at least I got some fanfiction writing done =3. I like this chapter, and it's quiet a bit longer than the first. Tell me what you think! Read and review x3**


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